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School Tours at the Ranch

Kids enjoying a ranger-led school tour

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Please call ahead (620-273-8494) for tour availability.

Historic House, Barn, and Trail Tour - 2 hours. Children are divided into groups and led by park rangers on a two-hour tour of the historic house, barn, outbuildings, Southwind Nature Trail, and Lower Fox Creek School. There is no charge for the tour. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance for this activity and can be made by calling the preserve at 620-273-8494. To better serve the children and our visitors, we can only present one school tour per day. Dates fill quickly, so call now to reserve your space. There are still spaces available for this activity.

Kids learn about the prairie ecosystem

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Teacher-Led Science Field Trip on the Prairie - For grades 6 - 12. These two-hour curriculum-based field trips explores the principles of science and the ecological components of a prairie environment. Students will learn about prairie ecosystems through collecting grasshoppers, sampling for invertebrates, and do plant sampling. A full preview of the curriculum lesson plans can be viewed at this website.

Cowboy talking about his horse

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1880s Spring Hill Ranch Community (NEW) - Meet the historic characters of the ranch and learn about their individual responsibilities and daily activities. This 2.5-hour program includes a cowboy saddling his horse, a rock fence builder, one-room school teacher, a ranch woman cooking, and a tour of the 1881 ranch house. Groups rotate stations to the clanging sound of a dinner triangle. Program is best suited for large groups of 100 - 150 students rotating between six different stations.